Wacky interview questions with a purpose

Can you answer these questions? Here are some of the most bizarre interview questions posed by employers in 2011

What do you think of a garden gnome? If you think that's a weird question for a job interview, you're not alone.
(Tribune file photo by Charles Osgood)

Jen Weigel

January 3, 2012

Finding employment these days can be hard enough, but imagine getting asked a bizarre question during the interview process that's impossible to answer. According to Glassdoor.com — an online jobs and career community — strange interview questions are more common than ever.

"This is the third year that we have done what we call our oddball interview questions list," said Samantha Zupan, Glassdoor's corporate communications director.

The list was compiled from more than 150,000 interview questions shared by job candidates on Glassdoor.com in 2011.

Zupan said such questions are often used as conversation starters during the interview process.

"I think employers want to see how their candidates think," she said. "The question, 'What do you think about garden gnomes?' is an opinion question. There is no right or wrong answer. They want to see how you handle the unexpected things that come your way. They may also want to see if you will be a good cultural fit for their team, because there is no way to prepare for this. But there are ways to show you are a thoughtful thinker."

Here are some of the oddball interview questions from the Glassdoor list, followed by the company that posed the question. (The garden gnome question above is also on the list, from Trader Joe's.)

• "How many people are using Facebook in San Francisco at 2:30 p.m. on a Friday?" —Google

•"Just entertain me for five minutes, I'm not going to talk." —Acosta

•"If Germans were the tallest people in the world, how would you prove it?" —Hewlett-Packard